Inductively-heated substrate tablet for aerosol delivery device

ABSTRACT

An aerosol delivery device and a substrate tablet for use with an inductively-heated aerosol delivery device are provided. The aerosol delivery device comprises a control body having a housing, a mouthpiece portion located proximate the housing, a resonant transmitter located in the control body, a control component configured to drive the resonant transmitter, and a substrate tablet receivable in the device. The substrate tablet may comprise a granular substrate material and a susceptor component, the substrate material and the susceptor component may be configured to be formed together, and the susceptor component may be configured to be heated by the resonant transmitter.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/737,140, titled Inductively-Heated Substrate Tablet For AerosolDelivery Device, filed on Jan. 8, 2020, which is incorporated herein inits entirety by reference.

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to substrate tablets and aerosol deliverydevices and uses thereof for yielding tobacco components or othermaterials in inhalable form. More particularly, the present disclosurerelates to substrate tablets and aerosol delivery devices and systems,such as smoking articles, that utilize electrically-generated heat toheat substrate material, which may be tobacco or a tobacco derivedmaterial, preferably without significant combustion, in order to providean inhalable substance in the form of an aerosol for human consumption.

BACKGROUND

Many smoking articles have been proposed through the years asimprovements upon, or alternatives to, smoking products based uponcombusting tobacco. Exemplary alternatives have included devices whereina solid or liquid fuel is combusted to transfer heat to tobacco orwherein a chemical reaction is used to provide such heat source.Examples include the smoking articles described in U.S. Pat. No.9,078,473 to Worm et al., which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

The point of the improvements or alternatives to smoking articlestypically has been to provide the sensations associated with cigarette,cigar, or pipe smoking, without delivering considerable quantities ofincomplete combustion and pyrolysis products. To this end, there havebeen proposed numerous smoking products, flavor generators, andmedicinal inhalers which utilize electrical energy to vaporize or heat avolatile material, or attempt to provide the sensations of cigarette,cigar, or pipe smoking without burning tobacco to a significant degree.See, for example, the various alternative smoking articles, aerosoldelivery devices and heat generating sources set forth in the backgroundart described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al.; and U.S.Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2013/0255702 to Griffith, Jr. et al.; and2014/0096781 to Sears et al., which are incorporated herein by referencein their entireties. See also, for example, the various types of smokingarticles, aerosol delivery devices and electrically powered heatgenerating sources referenced by brand name and commercial source inU.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2015/0220232 to Bless et al., which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Additional types ofsmoking articles, aerosol delivery devices and electrically powered heatgenerating sources referenced by brand name and commercial source arelisted in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2015/0245659 to DePiano et al., whichis also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Otherrepresentative cigarettes or smoking articles that have been describedand, in some instances, been made commercially available include thosedescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos.4,922,901, 4,947,874, and 4,947,875 to Brooks et al.; U.S. Pat. No.5,060,671 to Counts et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,586 to Morgan et al.;U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,594 to Counts et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,977 toHiggins et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,176 to Adams et al.; U.S. Pat. No.6,164,287 to White; U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,218 to Voges; U.S. Pat. No.6,810,883 to Felter et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,461 to Nichols; U.S.Pat. No. 7,832,410 to Hon; U.S. Pat. No. 7,513,253 to Kobayashi; U.S.Pat. No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 7,896,006 toHamano; U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,756 to Shayan; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2009/0095311 to Hon; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2006/0196518,2009/0126745, and 2009/0188490 to Hon; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2009/0272379 to Thorens et al.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2009/0260641and 2009/0260642 to Monsees et al.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos.2008/0149118 and 2010/0024834 to Oglesby et al.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2010/0307518 to Wang; and WO 2010/091593 to Hon, which are incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties.

Representative products that resemble many of the attributes oftraditional types of cigarettes, cigars or pipes have been marketed asACCORD® by Philip Morris Incorporated; ALPHA™, JOYE 510™ and M4™ byInnoVapor LLC; CIRRUS™ and FLING™ by White Cloud Cigarettes; BLU™ byFontem Ventures B.V.; COHITA™, COLIBRI™, ELITE CLASSIC™, MAGNUM™,PHANTOM™ and SENSE™ by EPUFFER® International Inc.; DUOPRO™, STORM™ andVAPORKING® by Electronic Cigarettes, Inc.; EGAR™ by Egar Australia;eGo-C™ and eGo-T™ by Joyetech; ELUSION™ by Elusion UK Ltd; EONSMOKE® byEonsmoke LLC; FIN™ by FIN Branding Group, LLC; SMOKE® by Green SmokeInc. USA; GREENARETTE™ by Greenarette LLC; HALLIGAN™ HENDU™ JET™, MAXXQ™PINK™ and PITBULL™ by SMOKE STIK®; HEATBAR™ by Philip MorrisInternational, Inc.; HYDRO IMPERIAL™ and LXE™ from Crown7; LOGIC™ andTHE CUBAN™ by LOGIC Technology; LUCI® by Luciano Smokes Inc.; METRO® byNicotek, LLC; NJOY® and ONEJOY™ by Sottera, Inc.; NO. 7™ by SS ChoiceLLC; PREMIUM ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE™ by PremiumEstore LLC; RAPP E-MYSTICK™by Ruyan America, Inc.; RED DRAGON™ by Red Dragon Products, LLC; RUYAN®by Ruyan Group (Holdings) Ltd.; SF® by Smoker Friendly International,LLC; GREEN SMART SMOKER® by The Smart Smoking Electronic CigaretteCompany Ltd.; SMOKE ASSIST® by Coastline Products LLC; SMOKINGEVERYWHERE® by Smoking Everywhere, Inc.; V2CIGS™ by VMR Products LLC;VAPOR NINE™ by VaporNine LLC; VAPOR4LIFE® by Vapor 4 Life, Inc.; VEPPO™by E-CigaretteDirect, LLC; VUSE® by R. J. Reynolds Vapor Company; MisticMenthol product by Mistic Ecigs; and the Vype product by CN CreativeLtd; IQOS™ by Philip Morris International; and GLO™ by British AmericanTobacco. Yet other electrically powered aerosol delivery devices, and inparticular those devices that have been characterized as so-calledelectronic cigarettes, have been marketed under the tradenames COOLERVISIONS™; DIRECT E-CIG™; DRAGONFLY™; EMIST™; EVERSMOKE™; GAMUCCI®;HYBRID FLAME™; KNIGHT STICKS™; ROYAL BLUES™; SMOKETIP®; and SOUTH BEACHSMOKE™.

Articles that produce the taste and sensation of smoking by electricallyheating tobacco or tobacco derived materials have suffered frominconsistent performance characteristics. Accordingly, it is desirableto provide a smoking article that can provide the sensations ofcigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking, without substantial combustion, andthat does so with advantageous performance characteristics.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In various implementations, the present disclosure provides an aerosoldelivery device and a substrate tablet for use with an aerosol deliverydevice. The present disclosure includes, without limitation, thefollowing example implementations:

An aerosol delivery device comprising a control body having a housing, amouthpiece portion located proximate the housing, a resonant transmitterlocated in the control body, a control component configured to drive theresonant transmitter, and at least one substrate tablet receivable inthe device, wherein the substrate tablet comprises a granular substratematerial and a susceptor component, wherein the substrate material andthe susceptor component are formed together, and wherein the susceptorcomponent is configured to be heated by the resonant transmitter.

The aerosol delivery device of any preceding example implementation, orany combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesubstrate tablet is formed by pressing the substrate material and thesusceptor component together.

The aerosol delivery device of any preceding example implementation, orany combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesubstrate tablet is formed using a process selected from the groupconsisting of wet granulation, dry granulation, and direct compression.

The aerosol delivery device of any preceding example implementation, orany combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesubstrate tablet defines a profile shape, and wherein the profile shapeof the substrate tablet is substantially round.

The aerosol delivery device of any preceding example implementation, orany combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesubstrate tablet defines a first end surface and a second end surface,and further includes one or more passages extending from the first endsurface to the second end surface.

The aerosol delivery device of any preceding example implementation, orany combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesusceptor component comprises a susceptor ring.

The aerosol delivery device of any preceding example implementation, orany combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesubstrate tablet defines a first end surface and a second end surface,and wherein the susceptor ring is located proximate one of the first orsecond end surfaces.

The aerosol delivery device of any preceding example implementation, orany combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesubstrate tablet defines a first end surface and a second end surface,and wherein the susceptor ring is located between the first and secondend surfaces.

The aerosol delivery device of any preceding example implementation, orany combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesusceptor component comprises a granular material, and wherein thegranular susceptor material is mixed with the substrate material priorto being formed into the tablet.

The aerosol delivery device of any preceding example implementation, orany combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesusceptor component comprises a shredded material, and wherein theshredded susceptor material is mixed with the substrate material priorto being formed into the substrate tablet.

The aerosol delivery device of any preceding example implementation, orany combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesusceptor component comprises an open-ended cup defining a cavitytherein, and wherein the substrate material is located in the cavity.

The aerosol delivery device of any preceding example implementation, orany combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesubstrate material includes an aerosol precursor composition.

The aerosol delivery device of any preceding example implementation, orany combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesusceptor component comprises a material selected from a cobaltmaterial, an iron material, a nickel material, a zinc material, amanganese material, a stainless steel material, a ceramic material, asilicon carbide material, a carbon material, and combinations thereof.

The aerosol delivery device of any preceding example implementation, orany combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesubstrate tablet defines a peripheral surface, and wherein a pluralityof passages are defined around the peripheral surface.

The aerosol delivery device of any preceding example implementation, orany combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thecontrol body is configured to receive multiple substrate tablets.

The aerosol delivery device of any preceding example implementation, orany combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein theresonant transmitter is configured to separately heat respectivesusceptor components of the multiple substrate tablets.

The aerosol delivery device of any preceding example implementation, orany combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein theresonant transmitter is configured to heat multiple respective susceptorcomponents of the multiple substrate tablets.

The aerosol delivery device of any preceding example implementation, orany combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein eachof the multiple substrate tablets includes an aerosol precursorcomposition, and wherein at least two of the multiple substrate tabletshave different levels of aerosol precursor composition.

The aerosol delivery device of any preceding example implementation, orany combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein atleast two of the multiple substrate tablets have different types ofsusceptor components.

The aerosol delivery device of any preceding example implementation, orany combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein atleast two of the multiple substrate tablets have different shapes.

A substrate tablet for use with an inductively-heated aerosol deliverydevice, the substrate tablet comprising a granular substrate material,and a susceptor component, wherein the substrate material and thesusceptor component are formed together.

The substrate tablet of any preceding example implementation, or anycombination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesubstrate tablet is formed by pressing the substrate material and thesusceptor component together.

The substrate tablet of any preceding example implementation, or anycombination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesubstrate tablet is formed using a process selected from the groupconsisting of wet granulation, dry granulation, and direct compression.

The substrate tablet of any preceding example implementation, or anycombination of any preceding example implementations, wherein the tabletdefines a profile shape, and wherein the profile shape of the tablet issubstantially round.

The substrate tablet of any preceding example implementation, or anycombination of any preceding example implementations, wherein the tabletdefines a first end surface and a second end surface, and furtherincludes one or more passages extending from the first end surface tothe second end surface.

The substrate tablet of any preceding example implementation, or anycombination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesusceptor component comprises a susceptor ring.

The substrate tablet of any preceding example implementation, or anycombination of any preceding example implementations, wherein the tabletdefines a first end surface and a second end surface, and wherein thesusceptor ring is located proximate one of the first or second endsurfaces.

The substrate tablet of any preceding example implementation, or anycombination of any preceding example implementations, wherein the tabletdefines a first end surface and a second end surface, and wherein thesusceptor ring is located between the first and second end surfaces.

The substrate tablet of any preceding example implementation, or anycombination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesusceptor component comprises a granular material, and wherein thegranular susceptor material is mixed with the substrate material priorto being formed into the tablet.

The substrate tablet of any preceding example implementation, or anycombination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesusceptor component comprises a shredded material, and wherein theshredded susceptor material is mixed with the substrate material priorto being formed into the tablet.

The substrate tablet of any preceding example implementation, or anycombination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesusceptor component comprises an open-ended cup defining a cavitytherein, and wherein the substrate material is located in the cavity.

The substrate tablet of any preceding example implementation, or anycombination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesubstrate material includes an aerosol precursor composition.

The substrate tablet of any preceding example implementation, or anycombination of any preceding example implementations, wherein thesusceptor component comprises a material selected from a cobaltmaterial, an iron material, a nickel material, a zinc material, amanganese material, a stainless steel material, a ceramic material, asilicon carbide material, a carbon material, and combinations thereof.

The substrate tablet of any preceding example implementation, or anycombination of any preceding example implementations, wherein the tabletdefines a peripheral surface, and wherein a plurality of passages aredefined around the peripheral surface.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the disclosure willbe apparent from a reading of the following detailed descriptiontogether with the accompanying drawings, which are briefly describedbelow. The invention includes any combination of two, three, four, ormore of the above-noted embodiments as well as combinations of any two,three, four, or more features or elements set forth in this disclosure,regardless of whether such features or elements are expressly combinedin a specific embodiment description herein. This disclosure is intendedto be read holistically such that any separable features or elements ofthe disclosed invention, in any of its various aspects and embodiments,should be viewed as intended to be combinable unless the context clearlydictates otherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus described the disclosure in the foregoing general terms,reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an aerosol delivery device,according to an example implementation of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a front schematic view of an aerosol delivery device,according to an example implementation of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3A illustrates a perspective view of a substrate tablet, accordingto an example implementation of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3B illustrates a perspective view of a substrate tablet, accordingto an example implementation of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3C illustrates a perspective view of a substrate tablet, accordingto an example implementation of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a front schematic view of the aerosol deliverydevice, according to an example implementation of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5A illustrates a perspective view of a substrate tablet, accordingto an example implementation of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5B illustrates a perspective view of a substrate tablet, accordingto an example implementation of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5C illustrates a front view of a substrate tablet, according to anexample implementation of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a front schematic view of an aerosol delivery device,according to an example implementation of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to example implementations thereof. These exampleimplementations are described so that this disclosure will be thoroughand complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to thoseskilled in the art. Indeed, the disclosure may be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to theimplementations set forth herein; rather, these implementations areprovided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legalrequirements. As used in the specification and the appended claims, thesingular forms “a,” “an,” “the” and the like include plural referentsunless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, while reference maybe made herein to quantitative measures, values, geometric relationshipsor the like, unless otherwise stated, any one or more if not all ofthese may be absolute or approximate to account for acceptablevariations that may occur, such as those due to engineering tolerancesor the like.

As described hereinafter, example implementations of the presentdisclosure relate to aerosol delivery devices. Aerosol delivery devicesaccording to the present disclosure use electrical energy to heat amaterial (preferably without combusting the material to any significantdegree) to form an inhalable substance. That is, use of components ofpreferred aerosol delivery devices does not result in the production ofsmoke in the sense that aerosol results principally from by-products ofcombustion or pyrolysis of tobacco, but rather, use of those preferredsystems results in the production of vapors resulting fromvolatilization or vaporization of certain components incorporatedtherein. In some example implementations, components of aerosol deliverydevices may be characterized as electronic cigarettes, and thoseelectronic cigarettes may incorporate tobacco and/or components derivedfrom tobacco, and hence deliver tobacco derived components in aerosolform.

Aerosol generating components of aerosol delivery devices of someexample implementations may provide many of the sensations (e.g.,inhalation and exhalation rituals, types of tastes or flavors,organoleptic effects, physical feel, use rituals, visual cues such asthose provided by visible aerosol, and the like) of smoking a cigarette,cigar or pipe that is employed by lighting and burning tobacco (andhence inhaling tobacco smoke), without any substantial degree ofcombustion of any component thereof. For example, the user of an aerosoldelivery device in accordance with some example implementations of thepresent disclosure can hold and use that component much like a smokeremploys a traditional type of smoking article, draw on one end of thatpiece for inhalation of aerosol produced by that piece, take or drawpuffs at selected intervals of time, and the like.

While the systems are generally described herein in terms ofimplementations associated with aerosol delivery devices such asso-called “e-cigarettes” or “tobacco heating products,” it should beunderstood that the mechanisms, components, features, and methods may beembodied in many different forms and associated with a variety ofarticles. For example, the description provided herein may be employedin conjunction with implementations of traditional smoking articles(e.g., cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc.), heat-not-burn cigarettes, andrelated packaging for any of the products disclosed herein. Accordingly,it should be understood that the description of the mechanisms,components, features, and methods disclosed herein are discussed interms of implementations relating to aerosol delivery devices by way ofexample only, and may be embodied and used in various other products andmethods.

Aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure may also becharacterized as being vapor-producing articles or medicament deliveryarticles. Thus, such articles or devices may be adapted so as to provideone or more substances (e.g., flavors and/or pharmaceutical ornutraceutical active ingredients) in an inhalable form or state. Forexample, inhalable substances may be substantially in the form of avapor (i.e., a substance that is in the gas phase at a temperature lowerthan its critical point). Alternatively, inhalable substances may be inthe form of an aerosol (i.e., a suspension of fine solid particles orliquid droplets in a gas). For purposes of simplicity, the term“aerosol” as used herein is meant to include vapors, gases and aerosolsof a form or type suitable for human inhalation, whether or not visible,and whether or not of a form that might be considered to be smoke-like.The physical form of the inhalable substance is not necessarily limitedby the nature of the inventive devices but rather may depend upon thenature of the medium and the inhalable substance itself as to whether itexists in a vapor state or an aerosol state. In some implementations,the terms “vapor” and “aerosol” may be interchangeable. Thus, forsimplicity, the terms “vapor” and “aerosol” as used to describe aspectsof the disclosure are understood to be interchangeable unless statedotherwise.

In use, aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure may besubjected to many of the physical actions employed by an individual inusing a traditional type of smoking article (e.g., a cigarette, cigar orpipe that is employed by lighting and inhaling tobacco). For example,the user of an aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure canhold that article much like a traditional type of smoking article, drawon one end of that article for inhalation of aerosol produced by thatarticle, take puffs at selected intervals of time, etc.

Aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure generally include anumber of components provided within an outer body or shell, which maybe referred to as a housing. The overall design of the outer body orshell can vary, and the format or configuration of the outer body thatcan define the overall size and shape of the aerosol delivery device canvary. In some example implementations, an elongated body resembling theshape of a cigarette or cigar can be formed from a single, unitaryhousing or the elongated housing can be formed of two or more separablebodies. For example, an aerosol delivery device can comprise anelongated shell or body that can be substantially tubular in shape and,as such, resemble the shape of a conventional cigarette or cigar. Inanother example, an aerosol delivery device may be substantiallyrectangular or have a substantially rectangular cuboid shape. In oneexample, all of the components of the aerosol delivery device arecontained within one housing. Alternatively, an aerosol delivery devicecan comprise two or more housings that are joined and are separable. Forexample, an aerosol delivery device can possess at one end a controlbody comprising a housing containing one or more reusable components(e.g., an accumulator such as a rechargeable battery and/or rechargeablesupercapacitor, and various electronics for controlling the operation ofthat article), and at the other end and removably coupleable thereto,another reusable component (e.g., a mouthpiece) or a disposablecomponent (e.g., a disposable flavor-containing cartridge containingaerosol precursor material, flavorant, etc.). More specific formats,configurations and arrangements of components within the single housingtype of unit or within a multi-piece separable housing type of unit willbe evident in light of the further disclosure provided herein.Additionally, various aerosol delivery device designs and componentarrangements can be appreciated upon consideration of the commerciallyavailable electronic aerosol delivery devices.

As will be discussed in more detail below, aerosol delivery devices ofthe present disclosure comprise some combination of a power source(e.g., an electrical power source), at least one control component(e.g., means for actuating, controlling, regulating and ceasing powerfor heat generation, such as by controlling electrical current flow fromthe power source to other components of the article—e.g., amicroprocessor, individually or as part of a microcontroller), and aheater or heat generation member (e.g., an inductive heatingarrangement). Such aerosol delivery devices may be configured to acceptone or more substrate tablets that include a substrate material capableof yielding an aerosol upon application of sufficient heat. In someimplementations, the aerosol delivery device may include a mouthpieceportion configured to allow drawing upon the aerosol delivery device foraerosol inhalation (e.g., a defined airflow path through the articlesuch that aerosol generated can be withdrawn therefrom upon draw). Insome implementations, the mouthpiece portion may be a separatecomponent, while in other implementations the control body may includethe mouthpiece portion.

Alignment of the components within the aerosol delivery device of thepresent disclosure can vary. In specific implementations, the substratetablet(s) may be positioned proximate a heating member (or a componentof a heating arrangement) so as to maximize aerosol delivery to theuser. Other configurations, however, are not excluded. Generally, theheating member (or a component of the heating arrangement) may bepositioned sufficiently near the substrate tablet(s) so that heat canvolatilize the substrate material (as well as, in some implementations,one or more flavorants, medicaments, or the like that may likewise beprovided for delivery to a user) and form an aerosol for delivery to theuser. When the substrate material is heated, an aerosol is formed,released, or generated in a physical form suitable for inhalation by auser. It should be noted that the foregoing terms are meant to beinterchangeable such that reference to release, releasing, releases, orreleased includes form or generate, forming or generating, forms orgenerates, and formed or generated. Specifically, an inhalable substanceis released in the form of a vapor or aerosol or mixture thereof,wherein such terms are also interchangeably used herein except whereotherwise specified.

As noted above, the aerosol delivery device of various implementationsmay incorporate a power source (e.g., a battery or other electricalpower source) to provide current flow sufficient to provide variousfunctionalities to the aerosol delivery device, such as powering of aheating member, powering of an induction coil, powering of controlsystems, powering of indicators, and the like. The power source can takeon various implementations. In some implementations, the power source isable to deliver sufficient power to rapidly activate the heating sourceto provide for aerosol formation and power the aerosol delivery devicethrough use for a desired duration of time. The power source may besized to fit conveniently within the aerosol delivery device so that theaerosol delivery device can be easily handled. Additionally, in someimplementations, a power source may be of a sufficiently light weight tonot detract from a desirable smoking experience.

More specific formats, configurations and arrangements of componentswithin the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure will beevident in light of the further disclosure provided hereinafter.Additionally, the selection of various aerosol delivery devicecomponents can be appreciated upon consideration of the commerciallyavailable electronic aerosol delivery devices. Further, the arrangementof the components within the aerosol delivery device can also beappreciated upon consideration of the commercially available electronicaerosol delivery devices.

As noted, aerosol delivery devices may be configured to heat a substratematerial of one or more substrate tablets to produce an aerosol. In someimplementations, the aerosol delivery devices may comprise heat-not-burndevices, configured to heat an extruded structure and/or substrate, asubstrate material associated with an aerosol precursor composition,tobacco and/or a tobacco-derived material (i.e., a material that isfound naturally in tobacco that is isolated directly from the tobacco orsynthetically prepared) in a solid or liquid form (e.g., beads, shreds,a wrap, a fibrous sheet or paper), or the like. Such aerosol deliverydevices may include so-called electronic cigarettes.

In the depicted implementations, an inductive heating arrangement isused. In various implementations, the inductive heating arrangement maycomprise a resonant transmitter and a resonant receiver (e.g., one ormore susceptors or susceptor components). In such a manner, operation ofthe aerosol delivery device may require directing alternating current tothe resonant transmitter to produce an oscillating magnetic field inorder to induce eddy currents in the resonant receiver. In variousimplementations, the resonant receiver may be part of a substrate tablet(e.g., mixed with the substrate material and/or disposed proximate thesubstrate material of a substrate tablet). This alternating currentcauses the resonant receiver to generate heat and thereby creates anaerosol from the substrate material. Examples of various inductiveheating methods and configurations are described in U.S. Pat. App. Pub.No. 2019/0124979 to Sebastian et al., which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety. Further examples of various induction-basedcontrol components and associated circuits are described in U.S. Pat.App. Pub. No. 2018/0132531, and U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 2017/0202266to Sur et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. It should be noted that although the depicted implementationsdescribe a single resonant transmitter, in other implementations, theremay be multiple independent resonant transmitters, including, forexample, implementations having segmented inductive heatingarrangements.

As noted, in some implementations a change in current in the resonanttransmitter (e.g., an induction coil), as directed thereto from thepower source by the control component (e.g., via a driver circuit) mayproduce an alternating electromagnetic field that penetrates thesusceptor component, thereby generating electrical eddy currents withinthe susceptor component. In some implementations, the alternatingelectromagnetic field may be produced by directing alternating currentto the resonant transmitter. In some implementations, the controlcomponent may include an inverter or inverter circuit configured totransform direct current provided by the power source to alternatingcurrent that is provided to the resonant transmitter. As such, in someimplementations a resonant transmitter and a substrate tablet may bepositioned proximate each other to heat the substrate tablet or aportion thereof (e.g., the substrate material of the substrate tablet)by inductive heating. As will be described in more detail below, aportion of the inductive heating arrangement may be positioned in thecontrol body and a portion of the inductive heating arrangement may bepositioned in the substrate tablet.

The eddy currents flowing in the susceptor component may generate heatthrough the Joule effect, wherein the amount of heat produced isproportional to the square of the electrical current times theelectrical resistance of the material of the susceptor component. Forimplementations wherein the susceptor component comprises ferromagneticmaterials, heat may also be generated by magnetic hysteresis losses.Several factors may contribute to the temperature rise of the susceptorcomponent including, but not limited to, proximity to the resonanttransmitter, distribution of the magnetic field, electrical resistivityof the material of the susceptor component, saturation flux density,skin effects or depth, hysteresis losses, magnetic susceptibility,magnetic permeability, and dipole moment of the material.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view an aerosol delivery device 100,according to an example implementation of the present disclosure. In thedepicted implementation, the aerosol delivery device 100 includes acontrol body 102 and a mouthpiece portion 104. In variousimplementations, the mouthpiece portion 104 and the control body 102 canbe permanently or detachably aligned in a functioning relationship. Inthis regard, FIG. 1 illustrates the aerosol delivery device 100 with aremovable mouthpiece portion 104 coupled with the control body 102.Various mechanisms may connect the mouthpiece portion 104 to the controlbody 102 to result in a threaded engagement, a press-fit engagement, aninterference fit, a sliding fit, a magnetic engagement, or the like. Invarious implementations, the control body 102 and/or the mouthpieceportion 104 of the aerosol delivery device 100 may be substantiallyrod-like, substantially tubular shaped, substantially rectangular orrectangular cuboidal shaped, or substantially cylindrically shaped. Inother implementations, the control body may take another hand-heldshape, such as a small box shape, various pod mod (e.g., all-in-one)shapes, or a fob-shape.

In specific implementations, one or both of the control body andmouthpiece portion may be referred to as being disposable or as beingreusable. As will be described in more detail below, the control body isconfigured to receive one or more substrate tablets. In variousimplementations, the substrate tablets may be referred to as beingdisposable. In some implementations, the entire device may becharacterized as being disposable in that the control body may beconfigured for only a limited number of uses (e.g., until a batterypower component no longer provides sufficient power to the article) witha limited number of substrate tablets and, thereafter, the entiredevice, including the control body, may be discarded. In otherimplementations, the control body may have a replaceable battery suchthat the control body may be reused through a number of batteryexchanges and with many substrate tablets. Similarly, the device may berechargeable and thus may be combined with any type of rechargingtechnology.

For example, the control body may have a replaceable battery or arechargeable battery, solid-state battery, thin-film solid-statebattery, rechargeable supercapacitor or the like, and thus may becombined with any type of recharging technology, including connection toa wall charger, connection to a car charger (i.e., cigarette lighterreceptacle), and connection to a computer, such as through a universalserial bus (USB) cable or connector (e.g., USB 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, USBType-C), connection to a photovoltaic cell (sometimes referred to as asolar cell) or solar panel of solar cells, a wireless charger, such as acharger that uses inductive wireless charging (including for example,wireless charging according to the Qi wireless charging standard fromthe Wireless Power Consortium (WPC)), or a wireless radio frequency (RF)based charger. An example of an inductive wireless charging system isdescribed in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2017/0112196 to Sur et al., whichis incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Further, in someimplementations, the mouthpiece portion may comprise a single-usedevice. A single use component for use with a control body is disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 8,910,639 to Chang et al., which is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety. In some implementations, the control bodymay be inserted into and/or coupled with a separate charging station forcharging a rechargeable battery of the device. In some implementations,the charging station itself may include a rechargeable power source thatrecharges the rechargeable battery of the device.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front schematic view of an aerosol delivery device,according to an example implementation of the present invention. Inparticular, FIG. 2 illustrates the aerosol delivery device 100 of FIG. 1. In the depicted implementation, the mouthpiece portion 104 isattachable and removable from the control body 102 and includes anaerosol passage 105 disposed therethrough. In the depictedimplementation, the mouthpiece portion 104 also includes a filter 106,which, for example, may be made of a cellulose acetate or polypropylenematerial. In various implementations, the filter 106 may providefiltering capacity, if desired, and/or provide resistance to draw. Inthe depicted implementation, the filter 106 is integral with themouthpiece portion 104. In other implementations, however, the filtermay be separate from the mouthpiece portion. In some implementations,the filter may comprise discrete segments. For example, someimplementations may include a segment providing filtering, a segmentproviding draw resistance, a hollow segment providing a space for theaerosol to cool, a segment providing increased structural integrity,other filter segments, or any one or any combination of the above. Someimplementations need not include a filter. In various implementationsother components may exist in the mouthpiece portion. For example, insome implementations one or any combination of the following may beincluded in the mouthpiece portion: an air gap; phase change materialsfor cooling air; flavor releasing media; ion exchange fibers capable ofselective chemical adsorption; aerogel particles as filter medium; andother suitable materials.

As noted above, various implementations of the present disclosure employan inductive heating arrangement to heat one or more substrate tabletsreceived in the device. The inductive heating arrangement may compriseat least one resonant transmitter and at least one resonant receiver(hereinafter also referred to as a susceptor or a susceptor component).In various implementations, one or both of the resonant transmitter andthe resonant receiver may be located in the control body and/or thesubstrate tablet. As will be described in more detail below, thesubstrate tablet includes an integral resonant receiver. Examples ofadditional possible components are described in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2019/0124979 to Sebastian et al., which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

Referring back to FIG. 2 , the control body 102 of the depictedimplementation may comprise a housing 108 that includes an opening 109defined on one end thereof, a flow sensor 111 (e.g., a puff sensor orpressure switch), a control component 112 (e.g., a microprocessor,individually or as part of a microcontroller, a printed circuit board(PCB) that includes a microprocessor and/or microcontroller, etc.), apower source 114 (e.g., a battery, which may be rechargeable, and/or arechargeable supercapacitor), and an end cap that, in someimplementations, may include an indicator 116 (e.g., a light emittingdiode (LED)).

Some examples of possible power sources are described in U.S. Pat. No.9,484,155 to Peckerar et al., and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2017/0112191to Sur et al., filed Oct. 21, 2015, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference in their respective entireties. Withrespect to the flow sensor 111, some representative current regulatingcomponents and other current controlling components including variousmicrocontrollers, sensors, and switches for aerosol delivery devices aredescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., U.S. Pat. Nos.4,922,901, 4,947,874, and 4,947,875, all to Brooks et al., U.S. Pat. No.5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhaueret al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,040,314 to Nguyen et al., and U.S. Pat. No.8,205,622 to Pan, all of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties. Reference also is made to the control schemesdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,423,152 to Ampolini et al., which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In one implementation,the indicator 116 may comprise one or more light emitting diodes,quantum dot-based light emitting diodes or the like. The indicator 116can be in communication with the control component 112 and beilluminated, for example, when a user draws on the mouthpiece portion104, when coupled to the control body 102, as detected by the flowsensor 120.

In some implementations, an input element may be included with theaerosol delivery device (and may replace or supplement an airflow orpressure sensor). The input may be included to allow a user to controlfunctions of the device and/or for output of information to a user. Anycomponent or combination of components may be utilized as an input forcontrolling the function of the device. For example, one or morepushbuttons may be used as described in U.S. Pub. No. 2015/0245658 toWorm et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.Likewise, a touchscreen may be used as described in U.S. Pat. App. Pub.No. 2016/0262454, to Sears et al., which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety. As a further example, components adapted forgesture recognition based on specified movements of the aerosol deliverydevice may be used as an input. See U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2016/0158782to Henry et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. As still a further example, a capacitive sensor may beimplemented on the aerosol delivery device to enable a user to provideinput, such as by touching a surface of the device on which thecapacitive sensor is implemented.

Still further components can be utilized in the aerosol delivery deviceof the present disclosure. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,192 toSprinkel et al. discloses indicators for smoking articles; U.S. Pat. No.5,261,424 to Sprinkel, Jr. discloses piezoelectric sensors that can beassociated with the mouth-end of a device to detect user lip activityassociated with taking a draw and then trigger heating of a heatingdevice; U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al. discloses a puffsensor for controlling energy flow into a heating load array in responseto pressure drop through a mouthpiece; U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,148 to Harriset al. discloses receptacles in a smoking device that include anidentifier that detects a non-uniformity in infrared transmissivity ofan inserted component and a controller that executes a detection routineas the component is inserted into the receptacle; U.S. Pat. No.6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al. describes a defined executable powercycle with multiple differential phases; U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,289 toWatkins et al. discloses photonic-optronic components; U.S. Pat. No.5,954,979 to Counts et al. discloses means for altering draw resistancethrough a smoking device; U.S. Pat. No. 6,803,545 to Blake et al.discloses specific battery configurations for use in smoking devices;U.S. Pat. No. 7,293,565 to Griffen et al. discloses various chargingsystems for use with smoking devices; U.S. Pat. No. 8,402,976 toFernando et al. discloses computer interfacing means for smoking devicesto facilitate charging and allow computer control of the device; U.S.Pat. No. 8,689,804 to Fernando et al. discloses identification systemsfor smoking devices; and PCT Pat. App. Pub. No. WO 2010/003480 by Flickdiscloses a fluid flow sensing system indicative of a puff in an aerosolgenerating system; all of the foregoing disclosures being incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties.

Other suitable current actuation/deactuation mechanisms may include atemperature actuated on/off switch or a lip pressure actuated switch, ora touch sensor (e.g., capacitive touch sensor) configured to sensecontact between a user (e.g., mouth or fingers of user) and one or moresurfaces of the aerosol delivery device. An example mechanism that canprovide such puff-actuation capability includes a Model 163PC01D36silicon sensor, manufactured by the MicroSwitch division of Honeywell,Inc., Freeport, Ill. With such sensor, the heating member may beactivated rapidly by a change in pressure when the user draws on thedevice. In addition, flow sensing devices, such as those using hot-wireanemometry principles, may be used to cause the energizing of theheating assembly sufficiently rapidly after sensing a change in airflow.A further puff actuated switch that may be used is a pressuredifferential switch, such as Model No. MPL-502-V, range A, from MicroPneumatic Logic, Inc., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Another suitable puffactuated mechanism is a sensitive pressure transducer (e.g., equippedwith an amplifier or gain stage) which is in turn coupled with acomparator for detecting a predetermined threshold pressure. Yet anothersuitable puff actuated mechanism is a vane which is deflected byairflow, the motion of which vane is detected by a movement sensingmeans. Yet another suitable actuation mechanism is a piezoelectricswitch. Also useful is a suitably connected Honeywell MicroSwitchMicrobridge Airflow Sensor, Part No. AWM 2100V from MicroSwitch Divisionof Honeywell, Inc., Freeport, Ill. Further examples of demand-operatedelectrical switches that may be employed in a heating circuit accordingto the present disclosure are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,217 toGerth et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.Other suitable differential switches, analog pressure sensors, flow ratesensors, or the like, will be apparent to the skilled artisan with theknowledge of the present disclosure. In some implementations, apressure-sensing tube or other passage providing fluid connectionbetween the puff actuated switch and substrate tablet may be included inthe housing so that pressure changes during draw are readily identifiedby the switch. Other example puff actuation devices that may be usefulaccording to the present disclosure are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.4,922,901, 4,947,874, and 4,947,874, all to Brooks et al., U.S. Pat. No.5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhaueret al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,040,314 to Nguyen et al., and U.S. Pat. No.8,205,622 to Pan, all of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties.

Further examples of components related to electronic aerosol deliveryarticles and disclosing materials or components that may be used in thepresent article include U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; U.S.Pat. No. 5,249,586 to Morgan et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,977 to Higginset al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,176 to Adams et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,287to White; U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,218 to Voges; U.S. Pat. No. 6,810,883 toFelter et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,461 to Nichols; U.S. Pat. No.7,832,410 to Hon; U.S. Pat. No. 7,513,253 to Kobayashi; U.S. Pat. No.7,896,006 to Hamano; U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,756 to Shayan; U.S. Pat. Nos.8,156,944 and 8,375,957 to Hon; U.S. Pat. No. 8,794,231 to Thorens etal.; U.S. Pat. No. 8,851,083 to Oglesby et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,915,254and 8,925,555 to Monsees et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 9,220,302 to DePiano etal.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2006/0196518 and 2009/0188490 to Hon; U.S.Pat. App. Pub. No. 2010/0024834 to Oglesby et al.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub.No. 2010/0307518 to Wang; PCT Pat. App. Pub. No. WO 2010/091593 to Hon;and PCT Pat. App. Pub. No. WO 2013/089551 to Foo, each of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Further, U.S. Pat.App. Pub. No. 2017/0099877, discloses capsules that may be included inaerosol delivery devices and fob-shape configurations for aerosoldelivery devices, and is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. A variety of the materials disclosed by the foregoingdocuments may be incorporated into the present devices in variousimplementations, and all of the foregoing disclosures are incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties.

As noted above, the heating member of the depicted implementationcomprises an inductive heating arrangement. In the implementationdepicted in FIG. 2 , the control body 102 includes a resonanttransmitter and the substrate tablet includes a resonant receiver (e.g.,one or more susceptor components), which together facilitate heating ofat least a portion of the substrate tablet (e.g., a substrate materialof the substrate tablet). It should be noted that the term “tablet” asused herein should not be interpreted as a limitation on size and/orshape. For example, in some implementations the substrate tablet mayhave a non-circular profile shape and/or a non-cylindrical overallshape. Although in various implementations the substrate tablet may havea variety of forms, in the depicted implementation the substrate tablet110 comprises a combination of a substrate material and a susceptorcomponent. Although in various implementations the resonant transmittermay have a variety of forms, in the depicted implementation the resonanttransmitter comprises an induction coil 118 (such as, but not limitedto, a helical coil) that surrounds a support cylinder 119, although inother implementations there need not be a support cylinder. In variousimplementations, the resonant transmitter may be made of one or moreconductive materials, including, for example, silver, gold, aluminum,brass, zinc, iron, nickel, and alloys of thereof, conductive ceramicse.g., yttrium-doped zirconia, indium tin oxide, yttrium doped titanate,etc, and any combination of the above. In the illustratedimplementation, the induction coil 118 is made of a conductive metalmaterial, such as copper. In further implementations, the induction coilmay include a non-conductive insulating cover/wrap material. Suchmaterials may include, for example, one or more polymeric materials,such as epoxy, silicon rubber, etc., which may be helpful for lowtemperature applications, or fiberglass, ceramics, refractory materials,etc., which may be helpful for high temperature applications.

In the depicted implementation, the aerosol delivery device 100 definesa receiving compartment 120, which is configured to receive thesubstrate tablet 110 and is defined proximate the opening 109 of thecontrol body 102. In some implementations, such as the depictedimplementation, the receiving compartment may comprise a receivingchamber. In other implementations, however, the receiving compartmentmay have other forms. For example, in some implementations, thereceiving compartment may comprise a rotatable door, a siding tray, etc.As will be discussed in more detail below, in some implementations thereceiving compartment may be configured to receive a single substratetablet. In other implementations, the receiving compartment may beconfigured to receive multiple (e.g., two or more) substrate tablets. Instill other implementations, the same receiving compartment may beconfigured to receive a single substrate tablet or multiple substratetablets. In various implementations, the shape of the receivingcompartment may be configured to accommodate one or more differentprofile shapes of a substrate tablet. For example, in someimplementations in which the substrate tablet has a substantially roundprofile shape, the receiving compartment may have a substantiallycylindrical shape, etc. It should be noted that while in the depictedimplementation the receiving compartment 120 is located in the controlbody 102 of the aerosol delivery device 100, in other implementationsthe receiving compartment may be located in the mouthpiece portion,which may be separate from the control body. In such a manner, receivingcompartment of the mouthpiece portion may be configured to receive asingle substrate tablet and/or multiple substrate tablets.

Although not depicted in the figures, the housing 108 may include one ormore apertures therein for allowing entrance of ambient air to bedirected into the device (such as, for example, through the substratetablet(s) contained therein). Thus, when a user draws on the mouthpieceportion 104, air may be drawn into the receiving compartment 120 and bedrawn through the substrate tablet(s) for inhalation by the user.

In the depicted implementation, the resonant transmitter 118 extendsproximate an engagement end of the housing 108, and may be configured tosubstantially surround at least a portion of the receiving compartment120, which is configured to receive one or more substrate tablets. Inthe depicted implementation, the induction coil 118 defines a generallytubular configuration. In some implementations, the support cylinder 119may also define a tubular configuration and may be configured to supportthe induction coil 118 such that the induction coil 118 does not contactwith the substrate tablets. As such, the support cylinder 119 maycomprise a nonconductive material, which may be substantiallytransparent to an oscillating magnetic field produced by the inductioncoil 118. In various implementations, the induction coil 118 may beimbedded in, or otherwise coupled to, the support cylinder 119. In theillustrated implementation, the induction coil 118 is engaged with anouter surface of the support cylinder 119; however, in otherimplementations, the coil may be positioned at an inner surface of thesupport cylinder, be fully imbedded in the support cylinder, or havesome other configuration.

As noted above, in various implementations of the present invention thesubstrate tablet includes a substrate material and a susceptorcomponent. In various implementations, the substrate material and thesusceptor component are configured to be formed together (such as, forexample, by being compressed and/or molded) into a substrate tablet. Insuch a manner, the substrate material and the susceptor component mayfirst be combined and then subsequently formed into a substrate tablet.In some implementations, this may comprise mixing the substrate materialand the susceptor component together and then compressing and/or moldingthe substrate material and susceptor component into the substratetablet. For example, in some implementations the substrate material maycomprise a granular material (including, but not limited to, shreds,grains, beads, particles etc.) and the susceptor component may comprisea granular material (including, but not limited to, shreds, grains,beads, particles etc.). In such implementations, the granular substratematerial and the granular susceptor component may be mixed together(with or without additional additives) and then introduced into atableting machine, tablet press, and/or other molding device (which mayinclude one or more feeders, dies, punches, and/or compressioncomponents) that is configured to compress the mixture into one or moresubstrate tablets. In other implementations, the susceptor component maycomprise a substantially solid structure (including, but not limited to,a disk, ring, cup, cap, etc.), which may be combined with the substratematerial to form a substrate tablet. For example, in someimplementations having substantially solid susceptor components thesubstrate tablet may be formed as described above (e.g., via compressionand/or molding) with the susceptor component being combined with thesubstrate material at some point during or after the process.

In various implementations, a substrate tablet may be made in a varietyof different ways. For example, in some implementations one or moresubstrate tablets may be made via wet granulation. In otherimplementations, one or more substrate tablets may be made via drygranulation. In other implementations, one or more substrate tablets maybe made via direct compression. In some implementations, a wetgranulation process may comprise one or any combination of the followingsteps: providing a substrate material and a susceptor component, mixingthe substrate material and the substrate component, sifting thesubstrate material and the susceptor component, preparing andintroducing a granulating fluid, granulating the mixture, screening thewet granulated mixture, drying the wet granulated mixture, milling thedried mixture, blending the milled resultant with one or morelubricants, and compressing the resultant into a substrate tablet. Insome implementations, a dry granulation process may comprise one or anycombination of the following steps: providing a substrate material and asusceptor component, mixing the substrate material and the susceptorcomponent, sifting the substrate material and the susceptor component,slugging the substrate material and the susceptor component (e.g.,pre-compressing the substrate material and susceptor component intoslugs), screening the slugs, granulating the slugs, and compressing thegranulated resultant into a substrate tablet. In other implementations,a dry granulating process may comprise one or any combination of thefollowing steps: providing a substrate material and a susceptorcomponent, mixing the substrate material and the susceptor component,sifting the substrate material and the susceptor component, passing thesubstrate material and the susceptor component through high-pressurerollers, collecting flakes and/or granules, milling the flakes and/orgranulates, and compressing the milled flakes and/or granules into asubstrate tablet. In some implementations, a direct compression processmay comprise one or any combination of the following steps: providing asubstrate material and a susceptor component, mixing the substratematerial and susceptor component, sifting the substrate material and thesusceptor component, blending the substrate material and the susceptorcomponent, and compressing the resultant into a substrate tablet.

FIGS. 3A-3C show three non-limiting examples of substrate tablets 110A,110B, and 110C, according some example implementations of the presentinvention. Although a substrate tablet of the present invention may havea variety of different profile shapes (e.g., as viewed from the top inthe figures), including, but not limited to, square, rectangular, oval,almond, triangular, pentagon, diamond, capsule, etc., in theimplementations depicted in FIGS. 3A-3C the tablets 110A, 110B, 110Chave round profile shapes, which result in a substantially cylindricaloverall shapes. Although other implementations may differ, in theimplementations depicted in FIGS. 3A-3C the substrate tablets 110A,110B, 110C comprise granular substrate materials 122A, 122B, 122C thatare combined with granular susceptor components 124A, 124B, 124C.

In various implementations, the substrate material may comprise atobacco material, a non-tobacco material, or a combination thereof. Insome implementations, the substrate material may include, or mayessentially be comprised of one or more of a tobacco, a tobacco relatedmaterial, glycerin, water, a binder material, a diluent, and/or fillersand firming agents, such as, for example, calcium carbonate, rice flour,corn flour, etc. In various implementations, suitable binder materialsmay include alginates, such as ammonium alginate, propylene glycolalginate, potassium alginate, and sodium alginate. Alginates, andparticularly high viscosity alginates, may be employed in conjunctionwith controlled levels of free calcium ions. Other suitable bindermaterials include hydroxypropylcellulose such as Klucel H from AqualonCo.; hydroxypropylmethylcellulose such as Methocel K4MS from The DowChemical Co.; hydroxyethylcellulose such as Natrosol 250 MRCS fromAqualon Co.; microcrystalline cellulose such as Avicel from FMC;methylcellulose such as Methocel A4M from The Dow Chemical Co.; andsodium carboxymethyl cellulose such as CMC 7HF and CMC 7H4F fromHercules Inc. Still other possible binder materials include starches(e.g., corn starch), guar gum, carrageenan, locust bean gum, pectins andxanthan gum. In some implementations, combinations or blends of two ormore binder materials may be employed. Other examples of bindermaterials are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,839 toJakob et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,887 to Raker et al., each of whichis incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In someimplementations, the aerosol forming material may be provided as aportion of the binder material (e.g., propylene glycol alginate). Inaddition, in some implementations, the binder material may comprisenanocellulose derived from a tobacco or other biomass. Someimplementations may include diluents, which may include, for example,starches or partially pregelatinized starches, highly functionalpolyols, soluble diluents including maltodextrins, dried glucose syrups,dextrose monohydrate, and dextrose anhydrous, and microcrystallinecellulose (MCC). Other examples include lactose, spray dried lactose,Pvpk30 (Pearlitol SD200 and 25C), sorbitol, dibasic calcium phosphatedehydrate, calcium sulphate dehydrate, etc.

In some implementations, the substrate material may, at some point inthe process (e.g., prior to granulation), comprise an extruded material.An example of an extruded substrate material is described in U.S. Pat.App. Pub. No. 2012/0042885 to Stone et al., which is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety. In yet another implementation, thesubstrate material may begin as an extruded structure and/or substrateformed from marumarized and/or non-marumarized tobacco. Marumarizedtobacco is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,831 to Banerjee,et al., which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.Marumarized tobacco includes about 20 to about 50 percent (by weight)tobacco blend in powder form, with glycerol (at about 20 to about 30percent weight), calcium carbonate (generally at about 10 to about 60percent by weight, often at about 40 to about 60 percent by weight),along with binder agents, as described herein, and/or flavoring agents.In various implementations, the extruded material may have one or morelongitudinal openings. In other implementations, the extruded materialmay have two or more sectors, such as, for example, an extrudate with awagon wheel-like cross section.

Additionally or alternatively, the substrate material may, at some pointin the process, comprise an extruded structure and/or a substrate thatincludes or essentially is comprised of tobacco, glycerin, water, and/orbinder material. Some example tobacco and/or tobacco related materialsthat may be suitable are described in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2015/0157052 to Ademe et al.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2015/0335070 toSears et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,287 to White; and U.S. Pat. No.5,060,676 to Hearn et al., which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

In other implementations, the substrate material may comprise a blend offlavorful and aromatic tobaccos in cut filler form. In anotherimplementation, the substrate material may comprise a reconstitutedtobacco material, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,809 to Pryoret al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,143 to Pryor et al. and U.S. Pat. No.5,025,814 to Raker, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties. Additionally, a reconstituted tobaccomaterial may include a reconstituted tobacco paper for the type ofcigarettes described in Chemical and Biological Studies on New CigarettePrototypes that Heat Instead of Burn Tobacco, R. J. Reynolds TobaccoCompany Monograph (1988), the contents of which are incorporated hereinby reference in their entirety. For example, a reconstituted tobaccomaterial may include a sheet-like material containing tobacco and/ortobacco-related materials. As such, in some implementations, thesubstrate material may be first formed from a wound roll of areconstituted tobacco material. In another implementation, the substratematerial may be formed from shreds, strips, and/or the like of areconstituted tobacco material. In another implementation, the tobaccosheet may comprise a crimped sheet of reconstituted tobacco material. Insome implementations, the substrate material may comprise overlappinglayers (e.g., a gathered web), which may, or may not, include heatconducting constituents. Other examples include a series of overlappinglayers (e.g., gathered webs) of an initial substrate sheet formed by thefibrous filler material, aerosol forming material, and plurality of heatconducting constituents are described in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2019/0261685 to Sebastian, et al., which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

In some implementations, the substrate material may comprise a pluralityof microcapsules, beads, granules, and/or the like having atobacco-related material. For example, a representative microcapsule maybe generally spherical in shape, and may have an outer cover or shellthat contains a liquid center region of a tobacco-derived extract and/orthe like. In some implementations, the substrate material may include aplurality of microcapsules each formed into a hollow cylindrical shape.In some implementations, the substrate material may include a bindermaterial configured to maintain the structural shape and/or integrity ofthe plurality of microcapsules formed into the hollow cylindrical shape.

Tobacco employed in one or more of the substrate materials may include,or may be derived from, tobaccos such as flue-cured tobacco, burleytobacco, Oriental tobacco, Maryland tobacco, dark tobacco, dark-firedtobacco and Rustica tobacco, as well as other rare or specialtytobaccos, or blends thereof. Various representative tobacco types,processed types of tobaccos, and types of tobacco blends are set forthin U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,224 to Lawson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,888 toPerfetti et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,537 to Brown et al.; U.S. Pat. No.5,159,942 to Brinkley et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,930 to Gentry; U.S.Pat. No. 5,360,023 to Blakley et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,701,936 to Shaferet al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,730,832 to Dominguez et al.; U.S. Pat. No.7,011,096 to Li et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 7,017,585 to Li et al.; U.S. Pat.No. 7,025,066 to Lawson et al.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2004/0255965 toPerfetti et al.; PCT Pub. No. WO 02/37990 to Bereman; and Bombick etal., Fund. Appl. Toxicol., 39, p. 11-17 (1997); the disclosures of whichare incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

In various implementations, the substrate material may take on a varietyof conformations based upon the various amounts of materials utilizedtherein. For example, a sample substrate material may comprise up toapproximately 98% by weight, up to approximately 95% by weight, or up toapproximately 90% by weight of a tobacco and/or tobacco relatedmaterial. A sample substrate material may also comprise up toapproximately 25% by weight, approximately 20% by weight, orapproximately 15% by weight water—particularly approximately 2% toapproximately 25%, approximately 5% to approximately 20%, orapproximately 7% to approximately 15% by weight water. Flavors and thelike (which include, for example, medicaments, such as nicotine) maycomprise up to approximately 10%, up to about 8%, or up to about 5% byweight of the aerosol delivery component.

In some implementations, flame/burn retardant materials and otheradditives may be included within the substrate material and may includeorgano-phosphorus compounds, borax, hydrated alumina, graphite,potassium tripolyphosphate, dipentaerythritol, pentaerythritol, andpolyols. Others such as nitrogenous phosphonic acid salts, mono-ammoniumphosphate, ammonium polyphosphate, ammonium bromide, ammonium borate,ethanolammonium borate, ammonium sulphamate, halogenated organiccompounds, thiourea, and antimony oxides are suitable but are notpreferred agents. In each aspect of flame-retardant, burn-retardant,and/or scorch-retardant materials used in the substrate material and/orother components (whether alone or in combination with each other and/orother materials), the desirable properties most preferably are providedwithout undesirable off-gassing or melting-type behavior. Other examplesinclude diammonium phosphate and/or another salt configured to helpprevent ignition, pyrolysis, combustion, and/or scorching of thesubstrate material by the heat source. Various manners and methods forincorporating tobacco into smoking articles, and particularly smokingarticles that are designed so as to not purposefully burn virtually allof the tobacco within those smoking articles are set forth in U.S. Pat.No. 4,947,874 to Brooks et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 7,647,932 to Cantrell etal.; U.S. Pat. No. 8,079,371 to Robinson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 7,290,549to Banerjee et al.; and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2007/0215167 to Crookset al.; the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties.

According to other implementations of the present disclosure, thesubstrate material may also incorporate tobacco additives of the typethat are traditionally used for the manufacture of tobacco products.Those additives may include the types of materials used to enhance theflavor and aroma of tobaccos used for the production of cigars,cigarettes, pipes, and the like. For example, those additives mayinclude various cigarette casing and/or top dressing components. See,for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,419,015 to Wochnowski; U.S. Pat. No.4,054,145 to Berndt et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,619 to Burcham, Jr. etal.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,416 to Watson; U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,842 toStrang et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,320 to Martin; the disclosures ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Examplecasing materials may include water, sugars and syrups (e.g., sucrose,glucose and high fructose corn syrup), humectants (e.g. glycerin orpropylene glycol), and flavoring agents (e.g., cocoa and licorice).Those added components may also include top dressing materials (e.g.,flavoring materials, such as menthol). See, for example, U.S. Pat. No.4,449,541 to Mays et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety. Further materials that may be addedinclude those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,028 to Lawson et al. andU.S. Pat. No. 8,186,360 to Marshall et al., the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

In various implementations, one or more of the substrate materials mayhave an aerosol precursor composition associated therewith. For example,in some implementations the aerosol precursor composition may compriseone or more different components, such as polyhydric alcohol (e.g.,glycerin, propylene glycol, or a mixture thereof). Representative typesof further aerosol precursor compositions are set forth in U.S. Pat. No.4,793,365 to Sensabaugh, Jr. et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,839 to Jakob etal.; PCT WO 98/57556 to Biggs et al.; and Chemical and BiologicalStudies on New Cigarette Prototypes that Heat Instead of Burn Tobacco,R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Monograph (1988); the disclosures ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference their entireties. In someaspects, a substrate material may produce a visible aerosol upon theapplication of sufficient heat thereto (and cooling with air, ifnecessary), and the substrate material may produce an aerosol that is“smoke-like.” In other aspects, the substrate material may produce anaerosol that is substantially non-visible but is recognized as presentby other characteristics, such as flavor or texture. Thus, the nature ofthe produced aerosol may be variable depending upon the specificcomponents of the aerosol delivery component. The aerosol may bechemically simple relative to the chemical nature of the smoke producedby burning tobacco.

In some implementations, the aerosol precursor composition may compriseone or more humectants such as, for example, propylene glycol, glycerin,and/or the like. In various implementations, the amount of the aerosolprecursor composition that is used within the aerosol delivery devicemay be such that the aerosol delivery device exhibits acceptable sensoryand organoleptic properties, and desirable performance characteristics.For example, in some implementations the aerosol precursor composition(such as, for example, glycerin and/or propylene glycol), may beemployed in order to provide for the generation of a visible mainstreamaerosol that in many regards resembles the appearance of tobacco smoke.For example, the amount of aerosol precursor composition incorporatedinto the substrate material of the smoking article may be in the rangeof about 4.5 grams or less, 3.5 grams or less, about 3 grams or less,about 2.5 grams or less, about 2 grams or less, about 1.5 grams or less,about 1 gram or less, or about 0.5 gram or less. It should be noted,however, that in other implementations values outside of these rangesare possible.

Representative types of further aerosol precursor compositions are setforth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,365 to Sensabaugh, Jr. et al.; U.S. Pat.No. 5,101,839 to Jakob et al.; PCT WO 98/57556 to Biggs et al.; andChemical and Biological Studies on New Cigarette Prototypes that HeatInstead of Burn Tobacco, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Monograph(1988); the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties. In some aspects, a substrate material may produce avisible aerosol upon the application of sufficient heat thereto (andcooling with air, if necessary), and the substrate material may producean aerosol that is “smoke-like.” In other aspects, the substratematerial may produce an aerosol that is substantially non-visible but isrecognized as present by other characteristics, such as flavor ortexture. Thus, the nature of the produced aerosol may be variabledepending upon the specific components of the aerosol deliverycomponent. In various implementations, the substrate material may bechemically simple relative to the chemical nature of the smoke producedby burning tobacco.

In some implementations, the aerosol precursor composition, alsoreferred to as a vapor precursor composition or “e-liquid,” may comprisea variety of components including, by way of example, a polyhydricalcohol (e.g., glycerin, propylene glycol, or a mixture thereof),nicotine, tobacco, tobacco extract, and/or flavorants. Some possibletypes of aerosol precursor components and formulations are set forth andcharacterized in U.S. Pat. No. 7,217,320 to Robinson et al. and U.S.Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2013/0008457 to Zheng et al.; 2013/0213417 to Chonget al.; 2014/0060554 to Collett et al.; 2015/0020823 to Lipowicz et al.;and 2015/0020830 to Koller, as well as WO 2014/182736 to Bowen et al.,the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties. Other aerosol precursors that may be employed include theaerosol precursors that have been incorporated in VUSE® products by R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company, the BLU™ products by Fontem Ventures B.V.,the MISTIC MENTHOL product by Mistic Ecigs, MARK TEN products by Nu MarkLLC, the JUUL product by Juul Labs, Inc., and VYPE products by CNCreative Ltd. Also possible are the so-called “smoke juices” forelectronic cigarettes that have been available from Johnson CreekEnterprises LLC. Still further examples of possible aerosol precursorcompositions are sold under the brand names BLACK NOTE, COSMIC FOG, THEMILKMAN E-LIQUID, FIVE PAWNS, THE VAPOR CHEF, VAPE WILD, BOOSTED, THESTEAM FACTORY, MECH SAUCE, CASEY JONES MAINLINE RESERVE, MITTEN VAPORS,DR. CRIMMY'S V-LIQUID, SMILEY E LIQUID, BEANTOWN VAPOR, CUTTWOOD,CYCLOPS VAPOR, SICBOY, GOOD LIFE VAPOR, TELEOS, PINUP VAPORS, SPACE JAM,MT. BAKER VAPOR, and JIMMY THE JUICE MAN.

The amount of aerosol precursor that is incorporated within thesubstrate material is such that the aerosol generating piece providesacceptable sensory and desirable performance characteristics. Forexample, it is desired that sufficient amounts of aerosol formingmaterial be employed in order to provide for the generation of a visiblemainstream aerosol that in many regards resembles the appearance oftobacco smoke. The amount of aerosol precursor within the aerosolgenerating system may be dependent upon factors such as the number ofpuffs desired per aerosol generating piece. In one or more embodiments,about 0.5 ml or more, about 1 ml or more, about 2 ml or more, about 5 mlor more, or about 10 ml or more of the aerosol precursor composition maybe included.

In some implementations, the aerosol precursor composition mayincorporate nicotine, which may be present in various concentrations.The source of nicotine may vary, and the nicotine incorporated in theaerosol precursor composition may derive from a single source or acombination of two or more sources. For example, in some implementationsthe aerosol precursor composition may include nicotine derived fromtobacco. In other implementations, the aerosol precursor composition mayinclude nicotine derived from other organic plant sources, such as, forexample, non-tobacco plant sources including plants in the Solanaceaefamily. In other implementations, the aerosol precursor composition mayinclude synthetic nicotine. In some implementations, nicotineincorporated in the aerosol precursor composition may be derived fromnon-tobacco plant sources, such as other members of the Solanaceaefamily. The aerosol precursor composition may additionally include oneor more active ingredients including, but not limited to, a nicotinecomponent, botanical ingredients (e.g., lavender, peppermint, chamomile,basil, rosemary, ginger, cannabis, ginseng, maca, hemp, eucalyptus,rooibos, fennel, citrus, cloves, and tisanes), stimulants (e.g.,caffeine and guarana), amino acids (e.g., taurine, theanine,phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan) and/or pharmaceutical,nutraceutical, and medicinal ingredients (e.g., vitamins, such as B6,B12, and C, and/or cannabinoids, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) andcannabidiol (CBD)). The particular percentages and choice of ingredientswill vary depending upon the desired flavor, texture, and othercharacteristics. Example active ingredients would include any ingredientknown to impact one or more biological functions within the body, suchas ingredients that furnish pharmacological activity or other directeffect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention ofdisease, or which affect the structure or any function of the body ofhumans or other animals (e.g., provide a stimulating action on thecentral nervous system, have an energizing effect, an antipyretic oranalgesic action, or an otherwise useful effect on the body).

A wide variety of types of flavoring agents, or materials that alter thesensory or organoleptic character or nature of the mainstream aerosol ofthe smoking article may be suitable to be employed. In someimplementations, such flavoring agents may be provided from sourcesother than tobacco and may be natural or artificial in nature. Forexample, some flavoring agents may be applied to, or incorporatedwithin, the substrate material and/or those regions of the smokingarticle where an aerosol is generated. In some implementations, suchagents may be supplied directly to a heating cavity or region proximateto the heat source or are provided with the substrate material. Exampleflavoring agents may include, for example, vanillin, ethyl vanillin,cream, tea, coffee, fruit (e.g., apple, cherry, strawberry, peach andcitrus flavors, including lime and lemon), maple, menthol, mint,peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen, nutmeg, clove, lavender, cardamom,ginger, honey, anise, sage, cinnamon, sandalwood, jasmine, cascarilla,cocoa, licorice, and flavorings and flavor packages of the type andcharacter traditionally used for the flavoring of cigarette, cigar, andpipe tobaccos. Syrups, such as high fructose corn syrup, may also besuitable to be employed.

Flavoring agents may also include acidic or basic characteristics (e.g.,organic acids, such as levulinic acid, succinic acid, pyruvic acid, andbenzoic acid). In some implementations, flavoring agents may becombinable with the elements of the substrate material if desired.Example plant-derived compositions that may be suitable are disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 9,107,453 and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2012/0152265 both toDube et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties. Any of the materials, such as flavorings,casings, and the like that may be useful in combination with a tobaccomaterial to affect sensory properties thereof, including organolepticproperties, such as described herein, may be combined with the substratematerial. Organic acids particularly may be able to be incorporated intothe substrate material to affect the flavor, sensation, or organolepticproperties of medicaments, such as nicotine, that may be able to becombined with the substrate material. For example, organic acids, suchas levulinic acid, lactic acid, and pyruvic acid, may be included in thesubstrate material with nicotine in amounts up to being equimolar (basedon total organic acid content) with the nicotine. Any combination oforganic acids may be suitable. For example, in some implementations, thesubstrate material may include approximately 0.1 to about 0.5 moles oflevulinic acid per one mole of nicotine, approximately 0.1 to about 0.5moles of pyruvic acid per one mole of nicotine, approximately 0.1 toabout 0.5 moles of lactic acid per one mole of nicotine, or combinationsthereof, up to a concentration wherein the total amount of organic acidpresent is equimolar to the total amount of nicotine present in thesubstrate material. Various additional examples of organic acids thatmay be employed to produce a substrate material are described in U.S.Pat. App. Pub. No. 2015/0344456 to Dull et al., which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

The selection of such further components may be variable based uponfactors such as the sensory characteristics that are desired for thesmoking article, and the present disclosure is intended to encompass anysuch further components that are readily apparent to those skilled inthe art of tobacco and tobacco-related or tobacco-derived products. See,Gutcho, Tobacco Flavoring Substances and Methods, Noyes Data Corp.(1972) and Leffingwell et al., Tobacco Flavoring for Smoking Products(1972), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties.

In some implementations, the substrate material may include othermaterials having a variety of inherent characteristics or properties.For example, the substrate material may include a plasticized materialor regenerated cellulose in the form of rayon. As another example,viscose (commercially available as VISIL®), which is a regeneratedcellulose product incorporating silica, may be suitable. Some carbonfibers may include at least 95 percent carbon or more. Similarly,natural cellulose fibers such as cotton may be suitable, and may beinfused or otherwise treated with silica, carbon, or metallic particlesto enhance flame-retardant properties and minimize off-gassing,particularly of any undesirable off-gassing components that would have anegative impact on flavor (and especially minimizing the likelihood ofany toxic off-gassing products). Cotton may be treatable with, forexample, boric acid or various organophosphate compounds to providedesirable flame-retardant properties by dipping, spraying or othertechniques known in the art. These fibers may also be treatable (coated,infused, or both by, e.g., dipping, spraying, or vapor-deposition) withorganic or metallic nanoparticles to confer the desired property offlame-retardancy without undesirable off-gassing or melting-typebehavior.

As noted above, substrate tablets in accordance with various embodimentsinclude one or more susceptor components configured to be heated by theresonant transmitter. In various implementations, one or more of thesusceptor components may be made of a ferromagnetic material including,but not limited to, cobalt, iron, nickel, zinc, manganese, and anycombinations thereof. In other implementations, one or more of thesusceptor components may be made of other materials, including, forexample, other metal materials such as aluminum or stainless steel, aswell as ceramic materials such as silicon carbide, carbon materials, andany combinations of any of the materials described above. In still otherimplementations, one or more of the susceptor components may be made ofother conductive materials including metals such as copper, alloys ofconductive materials, or other materials with one or more conductivematerials imbedded therein. In some implementations, the susceptorcomponent may comprise a granulated susceptor component, including, butnot limited to a shredded susceptor material. In other implementations,a granulated susceptor component may comprise susceptor particles,susceptor beads, etc.

As noted above, in various implementations an aerosol delivery device ofthe present invention may receive a single substrate tablet and/or aplurality (e.g., two or more) substrate tablets. The implementationdepicted in FIG. 2 is configured to receive a single substrate tablet.FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate example implementations of some substrate tabletsthat may be received by the aerosol delivery device of FIG. 2 . Forexample, FIG. 3A illustrates a substrate tablet 110A comprising agranulated substrate material 122A (including any one or any combinationof substrate materials described above) and a granulated susceptorcomponent 124A, which are together formed into a tablet. In the depictedimplementation, the substrate tablet 110A has a substantially circularprofile shape (e.g., as viewed from the top of FIG. 3A) that forms asubstantially cylindrical overall shape and is configured to be porousso as to allow airflow and/or aerosol flow therethrough.

In some implementations, a substrate tablet of the present invention mayinclude one or more tablet passages extending from one end surface tothe other end surface through the tablet. FIG. 3B illustrates an exampleof such a tablet. In the depicted implementation, the substrate tablet110B is similar in shape to the substrate tablet 110A of FIG. 3A. Forexample, substrate tablet 110B has a substantially cylindrical overallshape that forms a substantially circular profile shape (e.g., as viewedfrom the top of FIG. 3B). In the depicted implementation, the substratetablet 110B comprises a granulated substrate material 122B (includingany one or any combination of substrate materials described above) and agranulated susceptor component 124B, which together are formed into atablet. The substrate tablet 110B of the depicted implementation furtherincludes a tablet passage 126B, configured to allow air and/or aerosolflow therethrough. FIG. 3C illustrates another example of a substratetablet having one or more passages. In the depicted implementation, thesubstrate tablet 110C is similar in shape as the substrate tablet 110Aof FIG. 3A. For example, substrate tablet 110C has a substantiallycircular profile shape (e.g., as viewed from the top of FIG. 3C) thatforms a substantially cylindrical overall shape. In the depictedimplementation, the substrate tablet 110C comprises a granulatedsubstrate material 122C (including any one or any combination ofsubstrate materials described above) and a granulated susceptorcomponent 124C, which are together formed into a tablet. The substratetablet 110C of the depicted implementation further includes a pluralityof tablet passages 126C, configured to allow air and/or aerosol flowtherethrough. Although other configurations are possible, in thedepicted implementation there are six tablet passages 126C that aresubstantially evenly spaced around a periphery of the tablet 310C. Inother implementations, there may be more or less tablet passages, andthe tablet passages need not be evenly spaced or located on theperiphery of the tablet.

FIG. 4 illustrates a front schematic view of an aerosol delivery device200, according to another example implementation of the presentinvention. In particular, FIG. 4 illustrates the aerosol delivery device200 including a mouthpiece portion 204 that is attachable and removablefrom a control body 202. In the depicted implementation, the mouthpieceportion 204 includes an aerosol passage 205 disposed therethrough. Inthe depicted implementation, the mouthpiece portion 204 also includes afilter 206, which, for example, may be made of a cellulose acetate orpolypropylene material. The control body 202 of the depictedimplementation may comprise a housing 208 that includes an opening 209defined on one end thereof, a flow sensor 211 (e.g., a puff sensor orpressure switch), a control component 212 (e.g., a microprocessor,individually or as part of a microcontroller, a printed circuit board(PCB) that includes a microprocessor and/or microcontroller, etc.), apower source 214 (e.g., a battery, which may be rechargeable, and/or arechargeable supercapacitor), and an end cap that, in someimplementations, may include an indicator 216 (e.g., a light emittingdiode (LED)).

In the depicted implementation, the control body 202 includes a resonanttransmitter and is configured to receive a plurality of substratetablets 210, each of which includes a resonant receiver (e.g., one ormore susceptor components), which together facilitate heating of atleast a portion of a substrate tablet (e.g., the substrate material ofthe substrate tablet). Although in various implementations the resonanttransmitter and/or the resonant receiver may take a variety of forms, inthe particular implementation depicted in FIG. 4 , the resonanttransmitter comprises an induction coil 218 that, in someimplementations may surround a support cylinder 219, although in otherimplementations there need not be a support cylinder. In variousimplementations, the resonant transmitter may be made of one or moreconductive materials, including, for example, silver, gold, aluminum,brass, zinc, iron, nickel, and alloys of thereof, conductive ceramicse.g., yttrium-doped zirconia, indium tin oxide, yttrium doped titanate,etc, and any combination of the above. In the illustratedimplementation, the induction coil 218 is made of a conductive metalmaterial, such as copper. In further implementations, the induction coilmay include a non-conductive insulating cover/wrap material. Suchmaterials may include, for example, one or more polymeric materials,such as epoxy, silicon rubber, etc., which may be helpful for lowtemperature applications, or fiberglass, ceramics, refractory materials,etc., which may be helpful for high temperature applications. In thedepicted implementation, the aerosol delivery device 200 defines areceiving compartment 220, which is configured to receive the pluralityof substrate tablets 210 and is defined proximate the opening 209 of thecontrol body 202. As noted above, in other implementations the receivingcompartment may be configured to receive a single substrate tablet, andin still other implementations, the same receiving compartment may beconfigured to receive either a single substrate tablet or multiplesubstrate tablets. As also noted above, in various implementations theshape of the receiving compartment may be configured to accommodate oneor more different profile shapes of a substrate tablet.

In the depicted implementation, the resonant transmitter 218 extendsproximate an engagement end of the housing 208, and may be configured tosubstantially surround at least a portion of the receiving compartment220. In the depicted implementation, the induction coil 218 defines agenerally tubular configuration. In some implementations, the supportcylinder 219 may also define a tubular configuration and may beconfigured to support the induction coil 218 such that the inductioncoil 218 does not contact with the substrate tablets. As such, thesupport cylinder 219 may comprise a nonconductive material, which may besubstantially transparent to an oscillating magnetic field produced bythe induction coil 218. In various implementations, the induction coil218 may be imbedded in, or otherwise coupled to, the support cylinder219. In the illustrated implementation, the induction coil 218 isengaged with an outer surface of the support cylinder 219; however, inother implementations, the coil may be positioned at an inner surface ofthe support cylinder, be fully imbedded in the support cylinder, or havesome other configuration.

In many respects, the aerosol delivery device 200 of FIG. 4 may havesimilar components or similar component variations as the aerosoldelivery device 100 of FIG. 2 . As such, reference is made to thediscussions above regarding these components and component variations,which will not be repeated here. As noted above, the aerosol deliverydevice 200 of the depicted implementation is configured to receive aplurality of susceptor tablets 210. Although other configurations arepossible, the device 200 of the depicted implementation is configured toreceive as few as one and as many as six (or more) substrate tablets210. It should be noted that in the depicted implementation, the spacingbetween substrate tablets 210 has been exaggerated for ease ofdepiction. Thus, in some implementations the substrate tablets may bepositioned such that an end of one tablet is directly proximate (suchas, for example, contacting) an end of the adjacent tablet. In otherimplementations, however, the device (such as, but not limited to, thereceiving compartment of the device) may be configured such that spacingexists between adjacent substrate tablets.

FIGS. 5A-5C show three non-limiting examples of substrate tablets 210A,210B, and 210C, according some example implementations of the presentinvention. In some implementations, the substrate tablets of FIGS. 5A-5Cmay be used in conjunction with an aerosol delivery device (such as theaerosol delivery device 200 of FIG. 4 ) configured for use with aplurality of substrate tablets. Although other implementations maydiffer, in the implementations depicted in FIGS. 5A-5C the substratetablets 210A, 210B, 210C comprise granular substrate materials 222A,222B, 222C that are combined with substantially solid susceptorcomponents 224A, 224B, 224C. As will be described in more detail below,the susceptor components 224A, 224B, 224C are configured to be heated bythe resonant transmitter of the control body.

The substrate material 222A, 222B, and 222C of the depictedimplementations may comprise a tobacco material, a non-tobacco material,or a combination thereof. As such, reference is made to the substratematerials and additives (and variations thereof), which will not berepeated here.

FIG. 5A illustrates a substrate tablet 210A comprising a granulatedsubstrate material 222A (which may include any one or any combination ofsubstrate materials described above) and a substantially solid susceptorcomponent 224A, which are together formed into a tablet. Although othersizes and shapes are possible, in the depicted implementation thesubstrate tablet 210A has a substantially circular profile shape (e.g.,as viewed from the top of FIG. 5A) that forms a substantiallycylindrical overall shape. The substrate tablet 210A of the depictedimplementation also includes a single tablet passage 226A configured toallow air and/or aerosol flow therethrough. In the depictedimplementation, the substantially solid susceptor component 224Acomprises a susceptor ring located proximate one of the end surfaces ofthe substrate tablet 210A. It should be noted that in otherimplementations, the susceptor component may have other shapes, and neednot have a round shape. In some implementations, one or more surfaces ofthe susceptor component may have a surface treatment (e.g., a surfacetexture) and/or a coating to facilitate combining the substrate materialwith the susceptor component. In some implementations, the susceptorcomponent need not have a solid shape. For example, in someimplementations the susceptor component may comprise a mesh. Forexample, in some implementations the susceptor ring may comprise a meshring.

As noted above, the susceptor component 224A of the depictedimplementation may be made of a susceptor material. In someimplementations, the susceptor material may include a ferromagneticmaterial including, but not limited to, cobalt, iron, nickel, zinc,manganese, and any combinations thereof. In other implementations, thesusceptor material may comprise other materials, including, for example,other metal materials such as aluminum or stainless steel, as well asceramic materials such as silicon carbide, carbon materials, and anycombinations of any of the materials described above. In still otherimplementations, the susceptor material may comprise other conductivematerials including metals such as copper, alloys of conductivematerials, or other materials with one or more conductive materialsimbedded therein.

FIG. 5B illustrates a substrate tablet 210B of another exampleimplementation comprising a granulated substrate material 222B (whichmay include any one or any combination of substrate materials describedabove) and a substantially solid susceptor component 224B, which aretogether formed into a tablet. Although other sizes and shapes arepossible, in the depicted implementation the substrate tablet 210B has asubstantially circular profile shape (e.g., as viewed from the top ofFIG. 5B) that forms a substantially cylindrical overall shape. Thesubstrate tablet 210B of the depicted implementation also includes asingle tablet passage 226B configured to allow air and/or aerosol flowtherethrough. In the depicted implementation, the substantially solidsusceptor component 224B comprises a susceptor ring located between theend surfaces of the substrate tablet 210B. Although in variousimplementations the substrate ring may be located in any location of thesubstrate tablet, in the depicted implementation the substrate ring islocated approximately half way between the end surfaces of the substratetablet 210B. As noted above, the susceptor component 224B of thedepicted implementation may be made of any one or any combinations ofsusceptor materials, including any one or any combination of thoseexample susceptor materials described above.

FIG. 5C illustrates a substrate tablet 210C of another exampleimplementation comprising a granulated substrate material 222C (whichmay include any one or any combination of substrate materials describedabove) and a substantially solid susceptor component 224C, whichtogether are formed into a tablet. Although other sizes and shapes arepossible, in the depicted implementation the substrate tablet 210C has asubstantially circular profile shape (e.g., as viewed from the top ofFIG. 5C) that forms a substantially cylindrical overall shape. Thesubstrate tablet 210C of the depicted implementation also includes asingle tablet passage 226C configured to allow air and/or aerosol flowtherethrough. In the depicted implementation, the substantially solidsusceptor component 224C an open-ended cup defining a cavity therein,wherein the granulated substrate material 222C is located in the cavity.Although in various implementations the substrate material may fill anyportion of the cavity, in the depicted implementation the substratematerial fills substantially all of the cavity (with the exception ofthe tablet passage 226C). As noted above, the susceptor component 224Cof the depicted implementation may be made of any one or anycombinations of susceptor materials, including any one or anycombination of those example susceptor materials described above.

In some implementations, an aerosol delivery device of the presentinvention may be configured to use segmented heating to inductivelyheat, separately, one or more individual tablets received therein. Aschematic illustration of an example implementation of an aerosoldelivery device 300 in accordance with the present disclosure is shownin FIG. 6 . In general, the aerosol delivery device 300 includes amouthpiece portion 304 that is attachable and removable from a controlbody 302. In the depicted implementation, the mouthpiece portion 304includes an aerosol passage 305 disposed therethrough. Although notincluded in the depicted implementation, in some implementations themouthpiece portion may include a filter, as described above. The controlbody 302 of the depicted implementation may comprise a housing 308 thatincludes an opening 309 defined on one end thereof, a flow sensor (notshown), a control component 312 (e.g., a microprocessor, individually oras part of a microcontroller, a printed circuit board (PCB) thatincludes a microprocessor and/or microcontroller, etc.), and a powersource 314 (e.g., a battery, which may be rechargeable, and/or arechargeable supercapacitor). In some implementations, the aerosoldelivery device may also include an indicator, as described above.

In the depicted implementation, the control body 302 includes a resonanttransmitter 318 and is configured to receive a plurality of substratetablets 310, each of which includes a resonant receiver (e.g., one ormore susceptor components), which together facilitate heating of atleast a portion of a substrate tablet (e.g., the substrate material of asubstrate tablet). In various implementations the resonant transmitterand/or the resonant receiver may take a variety of forms. In someimplementations, for example, the resonant transmitter may comprise aninduction coil, however, other transmitters are possible. As will bedescribed in more detail below, in the depicted implementation theresonant transmitter 318 is configured to be positioned proximateindividual substrate tablets 310 received in the device 300. In otherimplementations, the resonant transmitter may be positioned proximate agroup of substrate tablets. In various implementations, the resonanttransmitter may be made of one or more conductive materials, including,for example, silver, gold, aluminum, brass, zinc, iron, nickel, andalloys of thereof, conductive ceramics e.g., yttrium-doped zirconia,indium tin oxide, yttrium doped titanate, etc, and any combination ofthe above. In the illustrated implementation, the resonant transmitter318 is made of a conductive metal material, such as copper. In furtherimplementations, the helical coil may include a non-conductiveinsulating cover/wrap material. Such materials may include, for example,one or more polymeric materials, such as epoxy, silicon rubber, etc.,which may be helpful for low temperature applications, or fiberglass,ceramics, refractory materials, etc., which may be helpful for hightemperature applications. In the depicted implementation, the aerosoldelivery device 300 defines a receiving compartment 320, which isconfigured to receive a plurality of substrate tablets 310 and isdefined proximate the opening 309 of the control body 302. As notedabove, in other implementations the receiving compartment may beconfigured to receive a single substrate tablet, and in still otherimplementations, the receiving compartment may be configured to receiveeither a single substrate tablet or multiple substrate tablets. As alsonoted above, in various implementations the shape of the receivingcompartment may be configured to accommodate one or more differentprofile shapes of a substrate tablet.

In some respects, the aerosol delivery device 300 of FIG. 4 may havesimilar components or similar component variations as the aerosoldelivery device 100 of FIG. 2 . As such, reference is made to thediscussions above regarding these components and component variations,which will not be repeated here.

As noted above, the aerosol delivery device 300 of the depictedimplementation is configured to receive a plurality of susceptor tablets310. Although other configurations are possible, the device 300 of thedepicted implementation is configured to receive as few as one and asmany as twelve (or more) substrate tablets 310. In the depictedimplementation, the substrate tablets are positioned such that an end ofone tablet is directly proximate (such as, for example, contacting) anend of the adjacent tablet. In other implementations, however, thedevice (such as, but not limited to, the receiving compartment of thedevice) may be configured such that spacing exists between adjacentsubstrate tablets.

It should be noted that while the aerosol delivery device of FIG. 6 isshown as having a substantially rectangular or fob-shaped control body302 for ease of illustration, in other implementations the control bodymay have any other shape including an elongated shell or body that maybe substantially tubular in shape and, as such, resemble the shape of aconventional cigarette or cigar, and thus the components described belowmay be sized and configured to fit inside an elongated body.

In some implementations, a separate component may be used to facilitatethe loading and positioning multiple substrate tablets into an aerosoldelivery device. For example, some implementations may include a rack ortray configured to hold multiple substrate tablets, and that isconfigured to be loaded into an aerosol delivery device. For example, insome implementations a substrate tablet rack or tray may slide into andout of an aerosol delivery device to facilitate loading and positioningof one or more substrate tablets.

In various implementations, an aerosol delivery device of the presentinvention may be configured to separately heat a plurality of substratetablets contained in the device. This may be accomplished in a varietyof ways. For example, in some implementations (such as the depictedimplementation) a resonant transmitter may be moved relative to aplurality of relatively stationary substrate tablets. In otherimplementations, substrate tablets may be moved relative to a relativelystationary resonant transmitter. In other implementations, both theresonant transmitter and the substrate tablets may move relative to eachother. In still other implementations, the resonant transmitter andsubstrate tablets may be relatively stationary and the control componentmay control one or more portions of the resonant transmitter toseparately heat the substrate tablets contained in the device. In someimplementations, the inductive heating arrangement may be configured toheat different substrate tablets at different times. In such a manner,the inductive heating arrangement may provide segmented heating of thesubstrate tablets. For example, in some implementations the inductiveheating arrangement of the present invention may be configured to heat afirst substrate tablet and then, subsequently, heat a second substratetablet. In such a manner, the inductive heating arrangement may beconfigured to progressively heat the substrate tablets. In otherimplementations, the inductive heating arrangement may be configured toheat individual or multiple substrate tablets at the same time, or theinductive heating arrangement may be configured to heat one or more of aplurality of substrate tablets. Some examples of control methodsconfigured to provide segmented heating are described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/976,526, titled Control Component for SegmentedHeating in an Aerosol Delivery Device, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety. In still other implementations, there may bemultiple independent resonant transmitters (such as, for example,multiple independent coils, each of which may be individually activated.In such a manner, each independent resonant transmitter may be locatedproximate, or may be indexed or moved proximate, an individual substratetablet.

In the depicted implementation, the aerosol delivery device 300 includesan indexing mechanism 330 that is configured to move a resonanttransmitter 318 (which may be, in some implementations, a coil) relativeto the substrate tablets 310. In various implementations, the indexingmechanism 330 may be coupled to the resonant transmitter 318 and may beconfigured to generate incremental relative motion between the resonanttransmitter 318 and the substrate tablets 310. In the depictedimplementation, the indexing mechanism 330 is coupled to the resonanttransmitter 318 such that the indexing mechanism 330 moves the resonanttransmitter 318 through a series of incremental heating positions so asto incrementally heat a corresponding series of substrate tablets 310.Although other configurations are possible, in the depictedimplementation the indexing mechanism 330 comprises a small motor 332(e.g., a micro stepping motor) configured to rotate a lead screw 334.Further, a carrier 336, to which the resonant transmitter 318 isaffixed, is threaded through the lead screw 334. In such a manner,rotation of the lead screw 334 by the stepper motor 332 may thereformove the carrier 336, and thus the heating member 336, in asubstantially linear fashion. In various implementations, thecharacteristics (including for example, the dimensions and/orspecifications and/or control features) of the control component,stepper motor, lead screw, and carrier may be designed in order to meeta variety of performance objectives. For example, in the implementationdepicted in FIG. 6 , the indexing mechanism 330 is configured such thatthe resonant transmitter 318 is moved through a series of discretepositions relative to the plurality of substrate tablets 310. Thesepositions correspond to the positions of the plurality of substratetablets 310. As such, the control component 312, stepper motor 332, leadscrew 334, carrier 336, and resonant transmitter 318 are configured suchthat the resonant transmitter 318 may be controlled to separately heateach of the substrate tablets 310. In other implementations, a singleresonant transmitter may have any number of discrete positionscorresponding to any number of substrate tablets.

In some implementations, movement of the induction coil may be initiatedby the puffing action of the user through use of one or more varioussensors, as otherwise described herein, and/or may be initiated once thepuff is discontinued as sensed by one or more various sensors. As noted,in other implementations the device may include an input element (suchas, but not limited to, one or more buttons) that may be used to effectmovement of the induction coil. In other implementations, a combinationof one or more sensors and one or more input elements may be used. Instill other implementations, the indexing of the heating member may bemanually controlled by a user such that the induction coil may bemanually advanced by the consumer. Some examples of mechanismsconfigured to provide segmented heating are described in U.S. Pat. App.Pub. No. 2019/0289908 to Worm et al., which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety.

It should be noted that although the control body and the substratetablet(s) of the present disclosure may be provided together as acomplete aerosol delivery device generally, the components may also beprovided separately. Accordingly, any discussion otherwise providedherein in relation to the components in combination should also beunderstood as applying to the control body and the substrate tablet(s)as individual and separate components. The present disclosure alsoencompasses a disposable unit for use with a reusable unit. In specificimplementations, such a disposable unit (which may, in someimplementations, be the substrate tablet(s)) can be configured to bereceived into a reusable unit (which may, in some implementations, bethe control body). In other implementations, both units may bedisposable. For example, in specific implementations both the controlbody and the substrate tablet(s) may be disposable.

In another aspect, the present disclosure may be directed to kits thatprovide a variety of components as described herein. For example, a kitmay comprise a control body with one or more substrate tablets. A kitmay further comprise a control body with one or more chargingcomponents. A kit may further comprise a control body with one or morepower sources. A kit may further comprise a control body with one ormore substrate tablets and one or more charging components and/or one ormore power sources. In further implementations, a kit may comprise aplurality of substrate tablets. A kit may further comprise a pluralityof substrate tablets and one or more power sources and/or one or morecharging components. The inventive kits may further include a case (orother packaging, carrying, or storage component) that accommodates oneor more of the further kit components. The case could be a reusable hardor soft container. Further, the case could be simply a box or otherpackaging structure.

Many modifications and other implementations of the disclosure will cometo mind to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertainshaving the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoingdescriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to beunderstood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specificimplementations disclosed herein and that modifications and otherimplementations are intended to be included within the scope of theappended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they areused in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. An aerosol delivery device comprising: a controlbody having a housing; a resonant transmitter located in the controlbody; a control component configured to drive the resonant transmitter;and at least one substrate tablet receivable in the device, wherein thesubstrate tablet comprises a granular substrate material and a susceptorcomponent, wherein the substrate material and the susceptor componentare formed together, wherein the susceptor component is configured to beheated by the resonant transmitter, wherein the substrate tablet definesa peripheral surface, and wherein a plurality of passages are definedalong the peripheral surface.
 2. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1,wherein the substrate tablet is formed by pressing the substratematerial and the susceptor component together.
 3. The aerosol deliverydevice of claim 2, wherein the substrate tablet is formed using aprocess selected from the group consisting of wet granulation, drygranulation, and direct compression.
 4. The aerosol delivery device ofclaim 1, wherein the substrate tablet defines a profile shape, andwherein the profile shape of the substrate tablet is substantiallyround.
 5. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the substratetablet defines a first end surface and a second end surface, and whereinthe plurality of passages extend from the first end surface to thesecond end surface.
 6. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, whereinthe susceptor component comprises a susceptor ring.
 7. The aerosoldelivery device of claim 1, wherein the substrate tablet defines a firstend surface and a second end surface, and wherein the susceptorcomponent comprises a susceptor ring located proximate one of the firstor second end surfaces.
 8. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1,wherein the substrate tablet defines a first end surface and a secondend surface, and wherein the susceptor component comprises a susceptorring located between the first and second end surfaces.
 9. The aerosoldelivery device of claim 1, wherein the susceptor component comprises agranular material, and wherein the granular susceptor material is mixedwith the substrate material prior to being formed into the tablet. 10.The aerosol delivery device of claim 9, wherein the susceptor componentcomprises a shredded material, and wherein the shredded susceptormaterial is mixed with the substrate material prior to being formed intothe substrate tablet.
 11. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1,wherein the susceptor component comprises an open-ended cup defining acavity therein, and wherein the substrate material is located in thecavity.
 12. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein thesubstrate material includes an aerosol precursor composition.
 13. Theaerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the control body isconfigured to receive multiple substrate tablets.
 14. The aerosoldelivery device of claim 13, wherein the resonant transmitter isconfigured to separately heat respective susceptor components of themultiple substrate tablets.
 15. The aerosol delivery device of claim 13,wherein the resonant transmitter is configured to heat multiplerespective susceptor components of the multiple substrate tablets. 16.The aerosol delivery device of claim 13, wherein each of the multiplesubstrate tablets includes an aerosol precursor composition, and whereinat least two of the multiple substrate tablets have different levels ofaerosol precursor composition.
 17. The aerosol delivery device of claim13, wherein at least two of the multiple substrate tablets havedifferent types of susceptor components.
 18. The aerosol delivery deviceof claim 13, wherein at least two of the multiple substrate tablets havedifferent shapes.